Detroit Lions

Jarrad Davis returns to Detroit after stint with Jets

Updated Mar. 26, 2022 1:17 a.m. ET

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Said Jarrad Davis about playing in blue and silver, "It just feels right."

That was the overarching theme of Davis' press conference on Friday, as the linebacker announced his return to the Detroit Lions after just one season with the New York Jets in 2021. 

"This is the place that pretty much raised me," Davis said. "Every time wasn’t always a good time, but I’m telling you, ball here is fun."

Davis was drafted out of Florida in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft — No. 21 overall. The hard-hitting defender was expected to serve as a key cog in a rebuilding Detroit defense. 

Through two seasons, Davis seemed on track to meet his lofty potential, starting all 16 contests and leading the Lions with 73 solo tackles and 100 total stops.

Injuries were an annual albatross for Davis, however, suffering significant setbacks in the past three seasons. He was sidelined sporadically throughout the 2019 season with a high-ankle sprain, missing five games and seeing his total production nearly cut in half.

In 2020, Davis missed time due to a knee injury and fell down the depth chart, making just four starts and appearing in 14 games. The Lions opted not to renew Davis' rookie deal, and he agreed to a one-year deal in the Big Apple.

Davis suffered another high-ankle sprain during a preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers, missing six games and failing to carve out a significant role in the Jets' rotation with just five starts and a career-low 25 combined tackles. 

Davis noted his recent injury woes and declining standing within the league, welcoming familiar circumstances to help revitalize his career.

"I have to be real. At the end of the day, your tape is king," Davis said. "What people see out there is what they’re ultimately going to label you as, and that’s OK."

Davis can certainly fight for a spot in a depleted Lions defense that will lose Jamie Collins, the 26th ranked linebacker per PFF in 2020, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who will also depart from a linebacking corps already ranked fifth-worst in the league by PFF during the 2021 season. 

Davis also earned high praise from Lions head coach Dan Campbell during his first winter in Detroit, deeming him tenacious and hard-hitting. 

"He will literally split your chin open and knock your hat off," Campbell said following the 2020-21 season. 

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